Politics and Spirituality
Some readers may wonder what place so-called ‘paranormal’ research has in a project that endorses and strives towards real science and rationality. And others may, as I did just over a decade ago, wonder what on earth political conspiracies have to do with so-called ‘spirituality.’ In a world as controlled as our own, where lies can be glibly passed off as indisputable fact, with media, corporations, academia, and government acting as shapers of public opinion on every subject, an individual finds him or herself in a situation not dissimilar to that of Theseus in the Minotaur’s labyrinth. At every turn we are confronted by lies, even (and perhaps especially) when it comes to our most basic views about the nature of reality. And we would be lost if not for the thread of Ariadne.
While I’m on a Greek bent, let me share something a member of our forum recently pointed out from Manly P. Hall’s
The Secret Teachings of All Ages:
It is generally admitted that the effect of the Delphian oracle upon Greek culture was profoundly constructive. James Gardner sums up its influence in the following words: “Its responses revealed many a tyrant and foretold his fate. Through its means many an unhappy being was saved from destruction and many a perplexed mortal guided in the right way. It encouraged useful institutions, and promoted the progress of useful discoveries. Its moral influence was on the side of virtue, and its political influence in favor of the advancement of civil liberty.”
In other words, there’s our answer to the second question: a good oracle (or spiritual source) doesn’t shy away from politics. Like a Greek Cynic, or the proverbial Cassandra, the prime role of an oracle is to present a vision of the world as it is, no matter how painful or unpopular the view, and provide the only alternative fit for a lie: the truth. So, yes, we track and study ‘high strangeness,’ and our worldview is quite at odds with the materialistic dictum peddled and enforced by PhD’s and media pundits the world over. Everything you ‘know’ is a lie, and that includes all your metaphysical assumptions about the way the ‘reality’ really works. Luckily there’s a way out of the labyrinth, and (please excuse me for going Biblical here!) the truth
will set you free.
With politics, it’s no different. Any ‘spiritual’ source that suggests otherwise -- perhaps holding the view that such things are
unspiritual -- is no better than COINTELPRO, directing people to ignore the man behind the curtain, lie down and go back to sleep while unscrupulous individuals conspire to rob you of your money, your freedom, and the opportunity to live a fulfilling life where evil and abject mediocrity aren’t the norm.
Think about it. Can you imagine a ‘great spiritual leader’ living under a corrupt government who is so stupid as to believe the lies ‘the Party’ tells him? Or one who would give her support to a leader who spouts high-sounding words while killing innocent people? Well, maybe those are dumb questions, because I can picture any number of such ‘spiritual leaders.’ But I hope the point is clear. A spiritual source that ignores politics is like a doctor who ignores disease.
Trying to make sense of chaos is human nature. Look at a blurry picture and your mind will try to ‘piece it together’ into something intelligible. And it’s rewarding when it comes together. ‘Aha!’ However, say that picture is evidence of a crime. The criminal has a vested interest in
keeping it obscure, whether that means burning the evidence or influencing your perception of the blur in question. When truth is an obstacle to one’s ambition, lies are the only option, and that puts one at odds with anything truly human or spiritual in nature. It puts one in a position that goes
against reality, forcing it into something it is not. Silencing those who question your manufactured reality -- and thus risk waking others up to the truth and your own downfall -- naturally follows.
This places those on the receiving end of the propaganda at a crossroads. It forces the questions: What do you truly value? Will you settle for being conned, if it means a relatively comfortable life? Or will you walk the ‘thorny road of truth’?
That is spirituality.
Thanks for the session.
